St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-11
A REAL SNAKE IN A DARKROOM
1t Clears Out a Savannah Saloon
With NeatneSS and Dispatch.

With NeatneSS and Dispatch.
A crowd of cowboys with 33-caliber
revolvers never cleared out a Western
saloon in shorter order than a crowd in
the Pulaski house bar was dispersed
last night says the Savannah News. As
they rushed pell nell through the Bull
street doors the first thought of passers-
by was that another earthquake was
coming. 1t was neither a cowboy nor
an earthquake, but something fully as
terrible-a full-grown adult RATHER"
The wOrkmen who are cutting bushes,
up the river for the mattresses" to be
used in the jetties caught his snakeship
and sent him down to Col. John Gay
nor, the government contractor. They
had Gagged the reptile in rough
box, across the top of which
were nailed barrelStaye or two and
single. Box and contents were
placed in the bar-room for safe-keeping
until morning, as the night clerk oh
jectedto having the snake in the office
or around the lobby. Nearly every
body who entered the bar caught sight
of the box and tried to form an idea of
the rattler's size by peering through the
cracks in the box.
One young man from an interior
county finally dropped in and was APP
preaching the box by left oblique
movement, when he caromed on the
soap-boX lying on the floor Instantly
the reptile set off his alarm-ciock rattle
at rate which sounded as if his tail
was making twelve hundred revolutions
minute. The ruralist recognized the
sound, and the leap he made would have
broken the best amateurs record in the
country if it had been measured.
In some way the box was overturned
and one of the slaves which was inse-
curely fastened came off. Out darted
head as wide on top as the palm of an
ordinary mans hand. Two feet or more
of snake shot out from the head like
blow straight from the shoulder. In
less than half second three feet more
of the reptile had wiggled out on the
floor and coiled up midway between the
counter and the cracker shelf.
A dozen or fifteen men had been stand
ing around, the most of them within
pace of the box. Half dozen glasses
of beer and lemonade had just been
set out. The. thirsty and the curious
were alarmed by yell, and all grasped
the situation SO quickly that stop-watch
couldn't have taken the time. Some
made break for the billiard room and
the rest for Bull street. But all could
and four who were in the rear Jumped
for the counter and clambered up on it.
The bartenders couldn't see what had
happened, but they formed pretty ac-
curate idea, and they, too, climbed up
OH the counter. The reptile Just re-
manned coiled up and showed his ire by
darting out his fOrked tongue and try
ing to lash the air into foam with his
| rattle. He was boss of the bar for the
| moment, and could have had white seal
champagne if he had called for it, or
could have gone and taken it without
being mOleSted. Ii he had started to-
ward the counter those on it would have
| attempted to do the human fly act. and
would have tried to walk on the ceiling.
In the course of couple of minutes
the picnic began to subside. Two OF
| three parties who had been playing
| billiards cautiously advanced on the
| snake with cues and succeeded in pin
iOning him to the floor without hurting
him much. Then apiece Of wire screen
was obtained and nailed on the box, an
opening being left to slip the reptile in.
With much caution and difficulty
that was accomplished at last, and
those who We're up on the
down in safety. They said the snake
looked to be eight feet long, but that is
said by others to be an exaggeration of
about three feet. A No. II cuff would
not go round his body in the largest
part. Two of his fangs were taken out
by the men when they caught him,
which they did by placing forked
stick on his neck, and then slipping a
moose over his head. The reptile is said
to have two smaller fangS left. Several
| of his rattles were broken off in drag
ging him to the camp. During the
night his mate followed after him half
mile from where he was captured, and
was found in the morning and gilled.
Col. GaynOr intends to send the snake
to Ed Stokes, proprietor of the Hoffman
house, New York, who wants one to
place in case in his bar among the
costly pictures with which it is hung.
The reptile is remarkably vicious, and
keeps his rattle going for an hour at a
time when disturbed.